Page 51 of Darkest Heart

“She’s in the mountains.” I swallowed thickly. “With the aniccipere king.”

She nodded. “Then that’s where we go next.” She held my arm, and I noticed how much blood was on me. “We’re going to find her today, I promise. She’s okay.”

“Wait,” I called as Zach’s wings spread outward. “Put a stone or something, to mark the area.”

He nodded, then took flight. I turned, spotting the mountains in the distance, a sense of urgency, fear, and hope filling me up.

EIGHTEEN

Niall

Music thrummed from the feeding rooms. The throne room was adorned with silk drapes, crimson pooling over the walls, symbolizing the blood of the competitors. My father stood beside me, robed in red, as he greeted the guests swarming in from all over Sanmorte.

The power behind the hierarchy had never been so apparent. Thousands stole the usual, empty spaces of the castle and sprawling grounds. Sometimes it was easy to forget how far the hand of the monarchy stretched until they were all in one place.

Members from Malum Dominor stepped in. I peered around for Salvor, their head of family, who was nowhere to be seen. It was fortunate, I supposed. There would be enough bloodshed this weekend, without the two of us fighting.

Two members stepped inside. I recognized them as Felix and Isaias. Felix’s dark eyes ran over me, his jaw clenching as he stopped in front of us. Gwen swept over to him. I hadn’t even seen her enter in all the chaos. Her blue, silk dress hugged her body, her nipples peaking beneath the fabric. Not even Felix could resist her charms. Gazing into her eyes, he succumbed. There was something about her, a mixture of chaos and darkness wrapped up with a deceivingly beautiful smile. “Boys, it’s good to see you again. Where is Salvor?”

Felix shook his head. “He has business to attend.”

My father and Velda walked away, greeting Achais, the auction owner in the city. Along with him, several wealthy sangaree entered. I turned my attention back to the Malum Dominor members.

She walked her fingers down his chest, purposely trying to get a reaction from me. “Oh come now, what can be important than this?”

“He’s focused on the aniccipere,” he said casually, as if they were discussing the weather. “He sent me in his place, and Isais here.” Isais tugged his shirt sleeve, which was cuffed with the Malum Dominor symbol. Felix stopped her hand as she slid her fingers lower against his torso. “I know better than to play games with you, Gwendolyn. I’ll leave that between you and Salvor.”

Salvor? They playedgames?

I shouldn’t care. I didn’t care. She was a liar. I rejected her. I greeted the rest of the guests as the countdown to the tournament started. Three hours. The games weren’t well thought out. Kalon had made them as simple as possible. No real skill was required. The strongest would win, and the rest would be fed on. That was the whole goal, anyway. No one cared which mortal would become a vampire, but it didn’t stop them betting their stagma on the competitors.

Adrian came up beside me without warning, and shot Felix and Isais a hard glare. “Niall,” he said, ignoring them. “I need you.”

Felix laughed. “Don’t worry, we can see ourselves to our rooms.”

I didn’t take the bait. Gwen laughed, holding Felix a little too lightly. The thought of her and Salvor played on my mind as Adrian pulled me away from the crowds and to the staircase. He brushed a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. “She’s done it again.”

I arched a brow. “Who?”

“Your mortal girl. She came and grabbed one of ours, claiming it was her sister.”

I puffed out my cheeks, closing my eyes for a moment. This was the last thing I needed. “That’s because her sister is there.”

“You put them close together?” He shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Even I knew that’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Where are they now?”

“I told you what would happen…”

My eyes darkened, my heart stammering. “What did you fucking do?”

He put his hands in the air. “Fuck, Niall. She’s just a mortal.”

I regained my composure. He was right. She wasn’t anything to me. I unclenched my fists, but the anger didn’t subside. “Where is she?”

“I figured if even you’re taken with her, she must be a good fuck. So I left her in the tents.”

My wings erupted, involuntarily, from my back. Before he could say anything else, I took off, flying toward the Blood Brothers wing.

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